Tuesday, 19 May 2009

Blaser and Dudek

On May 14, in Ottawa, I picked up a copy of the Globe and Mail to read on my return trip to Montreal following a book launching. I was saddened to read that poet and teacher Robin Blaser—part of the San Francisco Renaissance of the 40s and 50s—had passed away a week earlier at age 83.

Blaser edited and introduced Infinite Worlds: The Poetry of Louis Dudek for us in 1988. He was generous to a fault. In the intro he called Dudek "Canada's most important--that is to say, consequential--modern voice." Robin Blaser will be missed.